(Encyclopedia) otter, name for a number of aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the weasel family, found on all continents except Australia. The common river otters of Eurasia and the Americas are species…
The United States is home to roughly 40% of the world's billionaires. About 10% of America's richest citizens have committed to participate in the Giving Pledge and donate at least 50% of their…
Here are the key news events of the month organized into three categories: World News, U.S. News, and Business, Society, and Science News. World | Nation | Business/…
Below is the composition of the 112th Congress' House of Representatives, following the 2010 midterm elections. In the following lists, the numeral indicates the congressional district represented…
(Encyclopedia) Lewis and Clark expedition, 1803–6, U.S. expedition that explored the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and the country beyond as far as the Pacific Ocean.
The men were gathered…
(Encyclopedia) Dante AlighieriDante Alighieridănˈtē, Ital. dänˈtā älēgyĕˈrē [key], 1265–1321, Italian poet, b. Florence. Dante was the author of the Divine Comedy, one of the greatest of literary…
(Encyclopedia) Behring, Emil Adolph vonBehring, Emil Adolph vonāˈmēl äˈdōlf fən bârˈĭng [key], 1854–1917, German physician. He worked with Kitasato at Koch's laboratory in Berlin and from 1895 was…
(Encyclopedia) Beatles, The, English rock music group formed in the late 1950s and disbanded in 1970. The members were John (Winston) Lennon, 1940–80, guitar and harmonica; (James) Paul McCartney,…
(Encyclopedia) Neel, Alice, 1900–84, American painter, b. Merion Square, Pa., grad. Philadelphia School of Design for Women (1925). She worked (1933–43) for various Depression-era government arts…